It’s been two decades since the Raiders have played defense as well as they are right now, and the irony is that it’s happening despite very little impact from two of their most notable investments on defense.
Just one year after he signed a three-year, $52.5 million deal, all the Raiders have to show for Chandler Jones is a pile of dead money.
His deal was arguably the worst contract handed out by Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler.
The Raiders probably would have cut Jones before the season on account of his performance if it would have cleared salary cap room, but there was no cost effective way out of his deal until after the second season. In the end, Jones made the decision for the Raiders with his off-field antics and there’s a good chance that his time as a player in the NFL has come to an end.
The plan after Jones was released was for seventh-overall pick Tyree Wilson to fill the void, but Wilson is either still injured or the Raiders made a big mistake by taking him with their top pick. The hope is that Wilson will eventually show some of the explosive abilities that he showcased in college because he hasn’t looked the same since a foot injury he suffered a year ago.
But it hasn’t been all bad news for the Raiders at defensive end as one of the final holdovers from the Jon Gruden era is developing into a very good pass rusher.
Fans have been begging to see Malcolm Koonce get more playing time, and in his third year with the team, it’s finally happening…
Koonce plays primarily on passing downs, but his 24 quarterback pressures on the season (Pro Football Focus) is second on the team behind Maxx Crosby (63).
Koonce has been on the field for 270 snaps this year compared to 730 for Crosby, so he’s actually pressuring quarterbacks at a comparable rate to Crosby – albeit without as many double and triple teams.
Two weeks ago against the Jets, Koonce had arguably the best game of his NFL career and he had a key sack taken away by penalty on Sunday against the Dolphins.
The other fortunate detail for the Raiders is that they don’t need a lot of snaps from their other edge rushers because Crosby almost never comes off the field.
No defensive end in the league stays on the field more than “The Condor”…
twitter: @raidersbeat
Immensely Talented, figured he’d Break out eventually.
Condor & Koonce…I like it.
As for Tyree its official…he is a HUGE bust just like Ferrell.
He is out of shape and doesn’t do the work to get and stay in shape and from what I hear is lackadazical in team meetings and generally everything he does at practice. I would love for him to prove me wrong but he wont.
Good to see Koonce finally making a case for more playing time. I was worried he would be cut, last year, as he appeared to be in McDaniels’ doghouse due to a scrimmage hit on Carr. I think Graham has a lot to do with him still being on the team, plus his development. Great job, young man!